New Conclusion
by r-649
Summary: Picking up where season 6 left off, after everything that has been said and done, can Jenny and Nate find each other? First ever fanfiction so reviews, good or bad, are appreciated :) Will contain some spoilers if you haven't finished the series!
1. Chapter 1

Serena was radiant. As far as Jenny was concerned, all eyes were fixated on her golden locks, her shinning gown, and the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at Dan and how her face beamed with joy when she released her jaw-dropping smile. She was the most beautiful person in the room… To Jenny no one else deserved a moment's notice. However to Nate, another blonde stole his focus.

It had been three years since Jenny returned to the Upper East Side. Blair had unmistakably transformed into a woman with not only power but also true love, and in that she became forgiving and compassionate, because of this she abolished Jenny's banishment and invited her back to work in Waldorf Designs. Miraculously after Jenny's homecoming they had got along in ways that could never have been expected, they were genuine friends.

Blair was known for working her troops with extreme expectation, while she worked hard herself she expected above and beyond from those she paid. Only the most prestigious could survive. Jenny was undoubtedly the most overworked but energetic worker the company had; she lived to design. Jenny was expected to willingly stay at work until the early AM and was often discovered collapsed at a table the next day. The other workers were put to shame by her commitment, they appeared to have no drive or push in comparison. Blair was one of few who really understood the reason that Jenny would want to work unpaid hours…

When Jenny left the Upper East Side she was on bad terms with almost every person who was of worth to her. Even Dan and her father weren't the same when she returned; while they loved her she could always tell they had serious concerns about her reappearance. For the past three years she had purposely avoided social gatherings, parties and basically anything that involved socializing with a certain blue-eyed bachelor who had an unhealthy hold on her heart. Successfully, in the past three years she had only came into contact with Nate seven times, not that she would admit to counting. Outside of work Jenny might as well have been non-existent. As far as she was concerned, anything other than her job was irrelevant.

Nate over the past three years had excelled. Without the distraction of a girlfriend, Nate could focus his heart and soul on The Spectator. Like Jenny he worked himself to the ground, though this did tend to work in his favor. The long hours, late nights and high doses of coffee had done nothing negative to his appearance. His hair remained slicked back, his breathtakingly blue eyes still glowed, his dazzling white smile still had a hold on every woman who caught sight of it and the way his muscles bulged from a tight shirt could still cause weakened knees among the masses. Needless to say he may have been single but he couldn't claim a chastity belt anytime soon. His was accomplished and he knew it; but there was still something missing. He was happy and he felt it; but there was still something stopping him from feeling successful. He was lucky and he was grateful; but there was one girl who never had chance on her side. For a long time he knew who he wanted, but where was Jenny Humphrey when he needed her most?


	2. Chapter 2

The wedding reception was astounding. The pull of the live band seemed grip anyone in the vicinity, Lily was powerfully jumping and clawing the air with Henry at her feet copying her every move. The atmosphere transformed uptight Upper East Siders into the world's next top-class street dancer; even the elderly guests were at the least tapping their feet to the rhythm. The only person who didn't have a smile on their face was the blonde in the corner who was downing yet another glass of champagne. A usually concerned and over-protective Rufus was himself buzzed from both the alcohol and the joy of the day, the only set of eyes that stared right through Jenny belonged to another man…

_Jenny POV_

I knew Nate was staring at me. The bigger question was why? There were hundreds of exquisite females in the room and Nate, the successful businessman and future mayor, could have any one of them. I wasn't fooled into believing he was looking at me romantically, or even in concern, the most likely explanation would be that he was curious or I had something on my face that he was inwardly laughing at. I knew deep down that I was being paranoid, I had been victim of his head games for so long that I never knew how to take him, so I chose to cut him off completely; but in this moment, as I saw his legs agree with his eyes and take a step towards me, I couldn't quite remember why.

As he approached I prepared myself, I arranged ideas for comebacks inside my head, whether good or bad, I was ready for whatever he was going to say.

"Hey Jenny."

"Hey Nate."

That was it. I was almost sure I would get a speech, or a question, or something a little more original than that. I knew Nate was smart but after that one-liner I was forced to wonder if he had been dropped on the head as a baby. Maybe if I had have challenged him something more significant would have happened; but instead I became a little girl again and returned his vague hey. He proceeded to walked away, straight back to the bar, as though I was nothing more than his friends little sister, hey maybe that was all I meant to him now.

_Nate POV_

I want to be the spokesman for New York City and I'm in with a good chance of winning, but should the public really vote for me when I can't even speak to a girl? I was geared up, I had planned word for word what I would say but as soon as I looked into her eyes I went blank. I couldn't tell her how I missed her, I failed to express my concern for her empty expression, and I didn't tell her that I wanted her…. Instead I hit her with the 'hey's.' Pathetic.

Liquor was the key to distract. My destination in sight, I landed myself a seat at the bar, ordered my first drink and got comfortable, it would be a long trip to bury my sorrows. Thirty minutes and way too many drinks later, I had restored my missing confidence. I looked over at the girl who had wrecked my brain and knew what I had to do. Drunk or not, I would get to her.

Trying to keep my hiccups under control, I stumbled towards Jenny. She herself seemed pretty out of it but I could tell my reappearance was apparent to her. I guessed that inside she wanted the same thing as me, or maybe the scotch had just made me overly cocky. In any case with each step I got closer to what I really wanted, what we both really needed.

"Nate what now?"

"Let's stop talking. I don't want to talk. I just want "

With that, I kissed her. I kissed her with everything I had. The moment was perfect, at that moment nothing else mattered… But then that moment ended. With a regrettable force I stumbled, with that stumble came a fall and before I realized what was happening I was on the floor.

"You're drunk? I can't believe I fell for that." Jenny allowed her frightening face to return, her hard and cold expression was firmly implanted back on her face.

"I. That's. It's not why I feel how I do." I slurred back in her direction.

"You can't even form a proper sentence and you expect me to believe that you've just professed your deepest feelings? I thought I was stupid drinking a few glasses of champagne but you take the prize for the ultimate idiot. Congratulations Nate, you win nothing and you definitely don't win me."

With that she grabbed her purse and ran. I didn't have time to pull myself up or go after her; I just sat there like a child waiting for their mummy to lift them up. Even in my drunken state I knew that I had messed up beyond belief but at the same time I couldn't help but smile at the minute where all our problems ceased to exist. That was the relationship I wanted. It was the relationship I needed from that tall beautiful blonde, who had pulled on my heartstrings for years.


	3. Chapter 3

_Nate POV _

Memories of last night are weren't very clear-cut. Images of Jenny resurfaced but I'm not certain if we even spoke, or if I was just looking at her from across the room. My pounding headache served as evidence that I drank the night away but the large bump on my head could also be to blame. All I was missing was knowledge of how it protruded, and knowledge of where I was.

Bright yellow walls that were painful to look at this early in the morning surrounded me. I was lying in an equally distasteful bright bed and sounds of cutlery in the next room suggested I wasn't alone. I wasn't certain of who I had shared a bed with last night, or if any other events had took place, all I knew was it wasn't Jenny Humphrey in the next room.

"Good morning, how are you feeling? I made bacon."

"Oh−um−thanks. I eh−I'm just going to make a phone call first."

After locking myself in the bathroom I dialed number one in my speed dial.

"Hello uncle Nate, guess who?"

"Chuck what happened? Your voice has change."

"You're so silly, it's Henry. You aren't very good at this game uncle Nate."

"I'll get you next time Henry. Have you stolen your fathers phone again?" I could hear Henry running down the stairs on the other end of the phone, after several minutes I got who I was looking for.

"Nathaniel, replacing me with my son again? I'm hurt. How are you after last night's events? Last I seen of you, you weren't very firm on your feet."

"You'll never guess where I woke up this morning. It's a disaster."

"Nate, where are you?"

"I'm at Vanessa's apartment… I think I may have slept with her last night!"

I could feel Chuck smirking down the phone, assuming he would provide some useful advice on how to get out I bit back my anger.

"Tell her Blair phoned and demanded that you get here now. Blair would never correspond with Vanessa so you should be able to make a clear escape. Text me how you get on."

With that I was alone. I followed Chuck's advice and sure enough I exited the Brooklyn apartment without having to endure the awkward morning-after conversation. All there was left to do now was to head to the office and distract myself from my stupidity.

_Jenny POV_

"I just can't believe him. It's been 9 years since he even expressed interest in me and now he just going to use me to make himself feel better about being the only single person left." I had been repeating the same complaints to Eric all morning but I couldn't stop myself, more and more anger kept pouring out of me.

"Maybe you need to ask yourself why you're getting so angry. It was obvious that you still had feelings for him when you left town 5 years ago and you haven't really been with anyone since the Chuck incident. Are you sure this isn't what you wanted?"

"Stop it Eric. I don't like being used, that is all there is to it."

"Look you can deny it all you want, but I know you and I know how you get around him. You can't run away from this."

"Yes I can. He has played me around enough times and I won't do it anymore. Anyway I've got to get to work, see you for dinner?"

"I told mom I would stay with her tonight. She's feeling old after last night so I'm going to try and cheer her up. But I'll be home tomorrow morning."

Living with Eric was one of the best things of having moved back to New York. We decided to buy a joint apartment in the Upper East Side shortly after we returned from London. With my job at Waldorf Designs I could actually afford the rent, gone were the days of Little J from Brooklyn who brought lunch in a brown bag. Despite our parents divorce, Eric and I always would remain siblings, being in the city just wouldn't seem right without having him by my side.

As I made my way down the sidewalk towards work I couldn't get Nate off my mind. He said, "Let's stop talking." Like I didn't deserve any explanation. It was straight back to the first time he kissed me, "Because−" He could never provide a straight answer; sometimes I wonder if he even knows how to form a full sentence. Yet again I was tormented by his inability to express himself. Is it really that hard to have a conversation?

With my internal monologue on extreme overload I lost focus on where I was actually going and walked straight into someone.

"Oh wow, I'm so sorry… Vanessa." Ever since Vanessa had framed me for our joint attempt at sabotaging Serena we hadn't really spoken. It wasn't that I was still angry with her, it was down to the extreme awkwardness, and there was always an inevitable elephant in the room when we were together.

"It's totally fine Jenny. Actually I'm glad I've caught you, would you be up for a coffee?"

"I would love to but I've got to get to work." I was pretty grateful for the excuse, Vanessa would try to rekindle our friendship every now and again but it never worked out. There was no trust between us anymore, conversation was always overly vague and distant.

"I'll walk you." _Oh no_.

"Sounds great!"

As we walked we talked about the wedding; how Serena was the vision of perfection, how Dan kept looking dazed when she smiled at him, how the food was divine. It was like we were old friends reunited, for 5 minutes I had forgotten about any problems we might have, until she brought up one topic with the power to through me completely out of my civil head.

"I saw Nate was there last night, did you get catching up with him."

"We don't have much to say to get other." I tried not to be hostile but talking about Nate with Vanessa was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Oh right, it's just I thought I seen him giving you eyes."

"Well you thought wrong."

"Anyway I seen him leave with some girl so even if he was, it shouldn't matter now." With that I felt an unwelcome pang. This just proved it. He didn't care.

"Really? Was she pretty?" I questioned half-heartedly.

"Oh she was gorgeous."


	4. Chapter 4

_Jenny POV_

Do you ever just get fed up with people? I guess it always starts with one person to push you over the edge, and then suddenly you're surrounded by hundreds of idiots that you never even recognized as idiots until you were put in this frame of mind. One person is all it takes. That was what Nate Archibald was to me. Nate Archibald was a sociopath creator. He was my catalyst to falling off the edge of sanity. I went from loving my job, enjoying the company of my workmates and even smiling at the flirty guy at the coffee shop who always shot his latest pick up line at me, to only enjoying my own company in the safe confinement of my bedclothes. I had become an even bigger loner than I was before Nate Archibald had entered my life masked with the image of a sweet gentleman. Now, I could see him clearly for who he really was.

"We both know why you are hiding away and it's not because of a headache. Why don't you just call Na−"

"Eric! What did I tell you about using that name in this apartment?"

"It's been two weeks, when are we going to stop dancing around the issue? A person can only be this grumpy for so long before it's a cause for concern."

"And what do I say when I make this life changing phone call? 'Hey Nate, thanks for playing with my heart again and again, if you wish to make this any better then tough because you can't.' Yeah, that will sound great!"

"That doesn't sound like a conversation with someone you hate Jen. You can deny it to me all you want but we both know there is more than pride at stake here." At this Eric left giving me no time to fight my case. Of course there was a time that Nate did have the power to snap my heart in two- like when he chose Vanessa over me, ignored me for a week after we kissed, left without so much as a goodbye and a letter than never touched my hands, of course he couldn't send me a text to tell me he was leaving and lets not even mention when he chose Serena over me which ultimately led to the removal of my chastity belt by none other than Chuck Bass. Though despite everything, deep down I knew that I still cared about Nate and for that I hated him.

_Nate POV_

Vanessa hadn't called me since I left her apartment two weeks pervious. She had sent a few texts but without response they slowly stopped. It was hard to tell with her because she really wasn't the type of girl to incisively call and wait by the phone every minute of the day. After everything that happened I never wanted to hurt her but I also wasn't looking forward to having to deal with the mess I had left behind after the party. Vanessa wasn't the only silent girl I needed to explain myself to. After considering calling the much more deadly option I decided to settle with easy first, so I clicked call before I have the time to talk myself out of it like a 13 year old girl.

"Hello?"

"Hey Vanessa, it's Nate. How's things?"

"Yeah I can't complain. Is there a reason your calling?"

"I know this will sound pretty pathetic but I wouldn't ask if I knew the answer. What happened last time we seen each other?"

I could hear a slight sigh on the end of the phone, which was never a good sign.

"Basically you fell down a set of steps and hit your head pretty bad, I was worried you might have concussion so I took you back to my apartment. You passed out on the bed and ran away without a real excuse the next morning."

"I told you I had to go to Blair's-"

"Nate I may not have went to an Ivy League school but I'm not stupid."

"I'm sorry, I was just scared that something else had happened,"

"Scared?"

"I didn't mean it like that Vanessa."

"I know exactly what you meant, it was good catching up Nate, I've gotta run."

With that she hung up. I really had a knack for saying the wrong thing. The only positive thing that came out of that conversation was the fact that I had not used Vanessa as my drunken hookup, even if she didn't sound overly impressed by that. Now that the facts were straightened, I could go with my tail between my legs and talk to Jenny, however this conversation would be face to face, even if I needed to invest in some protective padding for a very fiery blonde that used to like me.


	5. Chapter 5

_Nate POV_

As the beginning of sunshine began to break through the clouds I could see light at the end of the tunnel. 2 weeks had passed since I had spoken to Vanessa and today felt like the time for hope and positivity. Today was the day I would finally explain myself to Jenny. Perhaps it was the absence of rain that triggered my sudden confidence, maybe it was the superb breakfast I had awoken to, or else I had just decided that enough was enough. Whatever it was, I was certain that I would reconcile with Jenny and everything would change for the better.

_Jenny POV _

The clouds shielded the sun from really having an affect on the streets of the Upper East Side. I was certain that the weather would only get worse, just like I knew the day would only get worse. It was my least favourite day of the year, my birthday. Ever since Jenny cakes and high school raggers had marked my previous birthdays, I never really did care for them much. Generally I try to treat it like a normal day but I have been traumatized with surprise parties several times. On the day of my 21st birthday I had just begun to pack up my things from my London apartment, I went out to grab lunch and when I returned I could hear whispers from the other side of the door. Alarmed I had grabbed a large wooden coat hanger before entering. Long story short one of the models I worked with ended up in hospital with severe concussion. I am not good with surprises. I am also not good with birthdays.

As I approached my dad and Lily's suite I had to prepare myself emotionally. Just because I didn't do birthdays didn't mean my family didn't. Hey, in normal people's eyes 25 is a big deal. A table full of croissants, pancakes, yoghurt, fruit and jam was standard for a Van Der Woodsen morning; what wasn't standard for this time of day was the giant three tiered pink cake with 25 candles on top.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart!" Dad exclaimed right before smothering me in a world famous Humphrey hug. One of the better parts of living back in New York was being with my dad; with age I had learnt to appreciate him in a new way. We no longer had a relationship full of arguing and deceit; maturity goes a long way in family bonds.

After spending the morning with Dad and Lily I headed into work. In the real world life goes on as you grow older, there were no days off to plan the ultimate party for all your friends, you worked around work, simple. This was one thing that I loved about adulthood. Blair met me at the elevator and handed me a card from the Bass family.

"Happy Birthday Jenny. Why don't you leave early today? Chuck and I could take you to Butter and invite some of the others?"

"Honestly Blair, I'm happy working till late and bringing some Indian back to my place. But thanks anyway."

"You really need to get a life Jen, I'm not taking no for an answer. Butter at 6? All you need to do is get dressed and show up." Blair had used her stern voice, with that I was certain that I was leaving work early and eating at Butter at 6. There was no use arguing with a Waldorf, I had learnt that from experience.

_Nate POV_

**Butter at 6pm, celebrating Jenny's 25****th****. Better dress you best ;) **

**-B**

After informing Chuck of my Jenny problems, I rightly assumed I was telling Blair also. Not that I minded her knowing, once you get over the constant taunting and teasing, its generally good to have a woman's point of view on the subject. I had awoken knowing that today was the day, and I was right. Blair's text confirmed that tonight I would win Jenny back. Who wouldn't be in a good mood on their birthday? It was the best time to spring up on Jenny, apologize and reconnect with her like I had been dreaming of. The problem was that Jenny was an anomaly. Jenny was one of the few women who detested birthdays, and I was currently unaware of this fact.


End file.
